Soro and his legal team boycotted the trial, which lasted only a few hours, saying it was a ploy to keep him out of the election scheduled for October.

Guillaume Soro was the rebel leader who backed President Allasane Ouatarra in Cote’Ivoire’s second civil war a decade ago following Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to accept defeat in the Presidential election.

He was made Prime Minister before falling out Ouatarra, who stands down in October after serving two terms.

Soro is accused of buying a house with government money.

His property in Abidjan has been confiscated and he has been stripped of civic rights for five years.

The post Ivorean presidential candidate Guillaume Soro fined $7 million appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

ends intro

Alassane Outtara became President of Cote d’Ivor in 2010.

His opponent Laurent Gbagbo refused to accept defeat, sparking a brief civil war in which more than 3 000 people died.

Ouattara was re-elected in 2015, again with an 84% share of the vote.

Previously he said he would only run again if his chief opponents, Gbagbo and Henri Konan Bedie featured in the race.

His statement yesterday appears to rule out the constitutional changes that would be necessary to enable him to seek a third mandate. 

The post Ouattara says he won’t seek a third term as Cote d’Ivoire President appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

They say it shows disrespect for the victims of those crimes.

Simone Gbagbo walked free yesterday and her 20-year sentence for threatening state security has been struck from the record.

Her husband Laurent Gbagbo remains in the Hague where he faces charges of crimes against humanity.

Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International are among the groups that say there should be no amnesty for war criminals.

President Alassane Outarra took the step to pardon those found guilty of crimes in the civil war that followed Laurent Gbagbo’s refusal to step down after losing the 2010 election.

He says he has done this in the name of reconciliation because the scars from that war remain deep.

The post Human rights groups slam pardon of Simone Gbagbo and other war criminals in Cote d’Ivoire appeared first on Jean-Jacques Cornish.

The West African country’s Attorney General maintains sometimes the accomplice is more dangerous than the perpetrator of a crime.

Former Public Works Minister Hubert Ouylaye allegedly funded an attack that killed 18 people including seven United Nations peacekeepers.

He supported Laurent Gbagbo, who’s refusal to accept electoral defeat started the war 2011.

Gbagbo’s currently on trial at the International Criminal Court in the Hague.

Oulaye maintains the trial was political and he’s appealing the verdict and sentence.

Legal analysts say it’s undermining President Alassane Ouattara’s bid to achieve reconciliation after the conflict that left more than 3000 dead.

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